Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Reprises “Circle” Moment at Earl Scruggs Fest
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The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band took the stage at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for a special performance of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” with many big name special guests.
Colt Ford, Jewel, & Justin Moore on Waylon Tribute?
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Wow. My little country music heart was sent reeling this morning when I rolled up to the track list and list of contributors for the new Waylon – The Music Inside, Vol. 2 compilation due out January 24th. The thing read like my lampoon of the unfinished Hank Williams songs, but unfortunately it is all too real folks.
2011 Artist of the Year – Justin Townes Earle
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And I don’t care if you don’t like Justin Townes Earle’s music. And I don’t care if Justin Townes Earle, his management or label, or anybody else gives a damn about my dumb little award. He probably thinks I’m an asshole, and you know what, I’m OK with that too. All I know is that in 2011, no other artist, none, inspired me more than Justin Townes Earle.
Josh ‘Jashie P’ Nutting of Outlaw Radio Threatens Assault
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On Tuesday night (1-3-12) Jashie P Nutting, podcaster of Outlaw Radio Chicago, and operator of the Outlaw Radio Chicago network on Shooter Jennings’ blackcountryrock.org site, as well as a contributor’s to Shooter’s new “Moonrunners” blog site and an advocate for Shooter’s XXX music movement, threatened assault towards me, The Triggerman.
What 21 Artists Are Planning To Do In 2012
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I think at this point it is pretty much a forgone conclusion that in 2012 we’re all going to die of death. You know, that whole Mayan thing. But I thought just to be on the safe side, just in case we all don’t die, we’ll probably want to listen to some music, so wouldn’t it be cool to know what some of your favorite artists have planned for 2012.
Vinyl Review – Rachel Brooke’s 7″ “Late Night Lover”
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Late Night Lover’s tracks are quite strong. We have watched as Rachel Brooke has evolved from the conflict of her punk and country roots trying to mix and blend, to a classic, cohesive style that is all her own, and compliments one of the most naturally-blessed voices in country today. Late Night Lover is a gift that I am grateful for.
2011 Album of the Year – Slackeye Slim’s “El Santo Grial…”
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It may be years before something impresses us like this again. I’ve given many albums two guns up, and have and will hand out many Albums of the Year. But there’s only two albums I’ve reviewed that I’ve ever felt confident enough to refer to as masterpieces, and Slackeye Slim’s El Santo Grial, La Pistola Piadosa is one.
Initial Lineup for 2012 Muddy Roots Festival Europe
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2012 will go down as the year that the roots music revolution went transcontinental, as the Muddy Roots Festival heads over to the Old World to storm the beaches of Europe with a ridiculous lineup of talent. Though the festival is happening in Europe, it will mostly feature American acts.
The 6 “Other” Country Music Archetypes
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Alright, so we all had a good chuckle poking fun at the 6 Pop Country Archetypes, now let’s see what happens when I turn the poison pen towards the folks much more likely to frequent Saving Country Music; those folks that live on the fringes of the greater country music world.
2011 Song of the Year – Willy Tea Taylor’s “Life Is Beautiful”
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It was an unbelievably strong field, and they all deserve to be recognized. But in the end what Willie Tea Taylor’s “Life Is Beautiful” had that no other candidate could match was poignancy. It’s also hard to deny a song that can make grown ass men cry, but Willy Tea’s poignancy is what really put him over the top for 2011.
Album Review – Stoney LaRue “Velvet”
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Despite the safety, there is a good flow to this music, and a patience. In most music, you have a group of guys doing their best individually, hoping it fits in the context of the song. With Velvet, everyone is on board, listening to the music and what the song is calling for. It’s the difference of four horsemen riding side by side across the plain, or four horses yoked together.
Curious Timing of Rodney Atkins Re-Signing with Curb
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As the headlines were making people wonder why anybody would ever sign with Curb in the first place, here was a big country star re-signing with the label he’s been with since 1996. We would later find out the potential reason for the curious move. On November 21st, police were called to the home of Rodney Atkins…
Album Review – The Kentucky Struts “Year of the Horse”
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Well here it is, the end of December. The last few moments of 2011 are counting down, and yet completely unbeknown to us, right under our noses, one of the most expansive, imaginative, engaging, and inspiring projects all year is finally coming into full bloom. It is called Year of the Horse by the Cold Spring, KY-based Kentucky Struts.